Miami Gardens, Fla. – After competing against one of the toughest fields in the country this past weekend with four matches against nationally-ranked teams, the Sun Conference honored the ninth-ranked St. Thomas Women's Volleyball team with Payton Bertke earning her second Setter of the Week nod while Fabiana Mucciola was named the league's Defender of the Week.

Bertke masterminded the Bobcats offense behind 10.31 assists over 16 sets. She recorded a pair of double-doubles via a 46 assist, 10 dig effort against No. 19 Missouri Baptist and 45 assists alongside 10 digs against No. 20 Midland.

Six games into the 2025 campaign, Bertke ranks eighth in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) with a 10.23 assist per set average. It is the second-consecutive week the back-to-back Sun Conference Setter of the Year has earned the weekly nod.

Mucciola anchored STU's defense with 4.94 digs per set. She averaged over five digs in three matches, capped by a 6.00 per-set rate against Midland.

In her first year as the Bobcats' libero, Mucciola currently averages 4.64 digs per set which ranks 37th in the NAIA.

The Bobcats trek to Temple Terrace, Fla., for the Florida College Memorial Day Classic, taking on Park Gilbert and the host on Friday, Aug. 29 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. before taking on Loyola (La.) on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 11 a.m.